I think I'm catching feelings for my coworker... and I don't know what to do.

Hi everybody,

This is my first Reddit post ever, and I could really use some objective advice.

I (25yo, F, single) started learning Japanese around 6 years ago during COVID as a hobby. I stayed pretty consistent with it and eventually reached a decent beginner level.

In 2023, I applied "for fun" to a Japanese company in my country as a local sales assistant. To my surprise, I actually got hired, and the fact that I could speak a bit of Japanese was a huge plus.

Last year (around June), the company hired a new Marketing Director. I forgot to mention that all the higher management positions are filled by Japanese staff sent from HQ in Japan.

Let's call him Jun (35yo, M, single).

He's a pretty calm and friendly guy, but he's also very straightforward. Like... really straightforward. He says exactly what he thinks, even if it creates tension. (Spoiler: it did.) Because of that, he ended up being pretty much ostracized by the other Japanese staff.

At first, he honestly seemed like someone I'd get along with, but after seeing everything that happened around him, I decided to keep my distance. I didn't want to get involved in office drama or make his situation any worse by being associated with him.

Then he found out I speak Japanese.

Since then, he's been encouraging me to study more, telling me I should take the JLPT (probably N3), sending me useful resources, gifting me Japanese textbooks, and speaking Japanese with me whenever he gets the chance.

At first, I thought he was just being nice, but... it never really stopped.

I've honestly tried to keep some distance, but he always comes back to chat, and the problem is... he's actually a really likable guy. It's getting harder to just ignore him.

My main concern is the rumors.

Some of my friends think he might actually be interested in me. At first, I thought they were reading too much into it, but now I'm not so sure. I mean... would someone really go that far just to be nice to a coworker? Or maybe he's just lonely since he's pretty isolated at work.

The bigger problem is... I think I'm starting to like him too.

I really don't want this to affect either his position at the company or mine.

So... 

Should I tell him why I've been avoiding getting too close?

Should I just see where things go?

Or am I completely overthinking this and he's simply being kind?

WSID?